I am a service-connected Disabled American Veteran, having participated in operations, over 3 decades, as a US Navy SEAL, and other governmental agencies. I have had multiple spinal surgeries, including spinal fusion. I have chronic degenerative arthritis. I live each day of my life in pain.I have tried every type of therapy available. Again, pain is overriding factor of my daily life. I received one session of warm-water myo-facial release from Nan. I left the session with increased range of motion and an ability to walk without pain. The next 24 hours were remarkable, in that I was able to play golf and be "normally social," [sitting over 2 hours and driving over 2 hours], things most people take for granted, that I am normally unable to do after any physical activity. Pain was at a mere minimum. My arthritis still prevented me from a normal gait, immediately after rising from a chair; but still, I "felt" better.I would say my body's ability to function better than I normally do and in less pain, lasted about 1 week. Remember, I've been fused for nearly 2 decades and have endured recurring orthopedic trauma.I was only able to attend 1 therapy session, due to geographical commitments. My mind wonders what kind of results a full session/weeks of therapy and treatment would produce?I recommend Nan's deep strength and penetrating release-type therapy for anyone in pain and living with sub normal range of motion, or decreased mobility. I will return to see her soon for full treatment. I will report on the results.Respectfully,James D. Beard, USN, SEAL, (Ret.)

Improve Balance and Decrease Stress

Many older adults who fall suffer a loss of not only mobility as a result of injuries, but also a loss of confidence in their ability to prevent future falls. This fear of falling can be debilitating, and often results in the person reducing their physical activity levels. Though this might seem like a safe strategy, it can lead to a downward spiral of physical deconditioning, increasing instability and greater fear. New research concludes that exercise is an effective intervention strategy in reducing the risk of falling and/or the rate of falling in older adults living independently. One of my favorite exercise classes - Ai Chi - has been clinically shown to increase balance in older people, and to decrease fear of falling. Come join us for a class! There are many different kinds of balance to be found when participating in Ai Chi: physical, emotional and spiritual. As Jun Konno, the creator of Ai Chi notes: “The physical benefits are excellent, but the power to survive another stress-filled day is incredible. Ai Chi offers that sigh we give when we are at peace.”

Life, many times, is all about balance. This becomes more than an idea or an ideal as we age - it becomes critically important to our health and longevity. The health care industry has acknowledged this, and there are many classes and gizmos available to help improve or maintain balance in the older adult. My personal favorite, of course, involves doing the balance work in the water - specifically by practicing Ai Chi.

One study concluded "This investigation’s findings suggest that an Ai Chi program leads to a clinical relevant increase of both static and dynamic balance in older people. There is a tendency to decrease fear of falling, although statistical significance has not been reached, but since fear of falling increased in the control group, a clinical relevant difference could be shown."So, come to Ai Chi, improve your balance and your life! Simple, right? I'll be there every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 9am - come join us!﻿Read the full article here: http://www.atri.org/articles/Sova-Ai%20Chi%20Balance%20Research.pdf

My very wise professor Dr. Karl Knopf always said we needed to re-frame the word exercise, to reflect the incredible benefits that come not necessarily from going to the gym and "WORKING OUT", but really just from getting up and moving. This is especially true for people who are inactive.

Research suggests that minimal-intensity, longer-duration physical activity may be best for insulin action and plasma lipids. The study, published in PLoS ONE (2013; 8 [2]; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055542), included 18 apparently healthy subjects around 21 years of age. Each participant was randomly selected to follow one of three protocols.Insulin sensitivity and plasma lipids improved in the minimal-intensity exercise group. There appeared to be no differences between the inactive group and the vigorous-intensity group.“One hour of physical exercise cannot compensate for the negative effects of inactivity on insulin sensitivity and plasma lipids if the rest of the day is spent sitting,” the authors added. “Reducing inactivity by low-intensity activities such as walking at a leisurely pace and standing is more effective than physical exercise in improving these parameters in sedentary subjects.”